Scammers can leave you a lump of coal

December 16, 2012

YOUNGSTOWN - While you are looking forward to the holidays, the Better Business Bureau is reminding you so, too, are the scammers.

Thousands of shoppers fall victim each year to the holiday deals that seem too good to be true and the bogus charity pleas that pull at their heart strings. This holiday season, the BBB urges consumers to take the following tips into consideration before doing their holiday shopping and making charity donations:

Always check a business's BBB Business Review available at youngstown.bbb.org before making a purchase. Make sure that the company has a physical address and telephone number. When shopping online, some websites offer electronics or luxury goods at prices that are too good to be true. Every holiday season, the BBB hears from holiday shoppers who paid for a "great deal" online, but received little or nothing in return.

If you shop from classifieds, look for local sellers and conduct transactions in person. Bring a friend if you're uncomfortable meeting the seller alone and never wire money as payment. If you are shopping on auctions sites like eBay look at seller ratings and read their reviews. Don't buy if the deal sounds too good to be true.

Don't let yourself get bogged down in purchases or lose track of your wallet. While you're struggling with shopping bags, identity thieves may see an opportunity to steal your wallet or look over your shoulder to copy your debit or credit card numbers. Know where your credit and debit cards are at all times and cover the keypad when entering your PIN while purchasing items or getting money from an ATM. Make sure you put your card back in your wallet after each purchase.

Research charities with the BBB before you give. The holidays are a time of giving and that creates an opportunity for scammers to solicit donations to line their own pockets. Beware of solicitations from charities that don't necessarily deliver on their promises or are ill-equipped to carry through on their plans. Resist demands for on-the-spot donations. Up-to-date reports on local and national charities are available at give.org.

Don't click on any links or open any attachments to emails until you have confirmed that they are not malicious. Phishing emails are a common way for hackers to get your personal information or break into your computer. Around the holidays, beware of e-cards and messages pretending to be from companies like UPS or FedEx with links to package tracking information. Email addresses that don't match up, typos and grammatical mistakes are common red flags of a malicious phishing email. Also, beware of unsolicited emails from companies with which you have no association. Make sure you have current antivirus software and that all security patches have been installed on the computer.